Elastic connection for an axial joint with connecting linkage of a motor vehicle steering gear

Abstract

An elastic connection of an axial joint with the connecting linkage of a motor vehicle steering gear, comprises a housing which has an opening at each end with one end opening into a spherical cavity for supporting the ball head of an axial joint and the opposite end opening into a cylindrical cavity. The cylindrical cavity contains an inner metal sleeve which is adapted to be connected to a connecting linkage which is held in position by an elastic bearing bushing which is firmly adhered thereto, such as by vulcanizing. The outer periphery of the elastic bushing is secured to a steering part secured in the cylindrical recess of the housing. The inner sleeve includes an annular collar adjacent the opening at the cylindrical recess end of the housing at a location adjacent the end which is formed with a downturned flange of both the housing and the outer bearing sleeve part. The elastic bearing bushing has a lip portion which engages over an end of the inner sleeve and another lip portion which engages over the collar and has a finishing surface opposed to the inturned flanges of the outer sleeve and the housing. The inner end of the outer sleeve abuts against the partition wall separating the two cavities in the housing and the elastic bearing bushing is advantageously engaged with this end.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An elastic connection of an axial joint with the connecting linkage of a motor vehicle steering gear, comprising a joint housing having first and second end walls, a ball socket cavity defined in said housing adjacent said first end wall and having an opening in said first end wall for accommodating the axial joint, a connecting linkage bearing cavity defined in said housing in longitudinally spaced relationship to said ball-socket cavity and having an opening in said second end wall, said housing having a partition wall between said ball-socket cavity and said connecting linkage bearing cavity, a bearing sleeve in said connecting linkage bearing cavity, a linkage sleeve located within and spaced readially inwardly from said bearing sleeve in said connecting linkage bearing cavity, said bearing sleeve having an inner end bearing against said partition wall, an elastic bearing bushing disposed between said bearing sleeve and said linkage sleeve and firmly secured at its inner periphery to said linkage sleeve and its outer periphery to said bearing sleeve, said linkage sleeve having an annular collar projecting radially outwardly therefrom adjacent to, but spaced inwardly from, the second opening, said housing and said bearing sleeve having inturned abutting flanges extending radially inwardly abounding the second opening and spaced longitudinally from said collar, said elastic bearing bushing having a first lip extension at one end extending over the axially inner end of said linkage sleeve and a second lip extension extending over said collar. 
     
     
       2. An elastic connection, according to claim 1, wherein said second lip extension is spaced from the inner face of said bearing sleeve in the radial plane. 
     
     
       3. An elastic connection, according to claim 1, wherein said elastic bearing bushing has an end portion which extends axially inwardly from the inward end of said bearing sleeve into engagement with the inner end of said linkage sleeve, said bearing sleeve having an end abutting against said partition wall. 
     
     
       4. An elastic connection, according to claim 1, wherein said bearing bushing comprises a single elastic member which is vulcanized to the respective bearing sleeve and said linkage sleeve. 
     
     
       5. An elastic connection, according to claim 1, wherein said outer bearing sleeve comprises two sleeve parts separated from each other in a transverse direction.